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Caribbean Series may return to Miami

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HERMOSILLO, Mexico -- Caribbean Baseball Confederation president Juan Francisco Puello Herrera would like to see the Caribbean Series return to Miami and is in talks with the Marlins about utilizing their new stadium in Little Havana, Puello confirmed to MLB.com on Thursday.

Talks, however, are still in the infancy stages, and such a move would not take place any time soon -- probably not within the next four years.

The 1990 Caribbean Series took place at the Orange Bowl, located where Marlins Park sprung up last year, then moved to Bobby Maduro Miami Stadium, also since demolished, in '91. Those were rough times for the Caribbean Series, and Puello would like to recoup the event's image in the city with a heavy Latin influence.

One possibility is to include Miami in the Caribbean Series rotation, which currently consists of the four nations playing in the tournament -- Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

"We've been in conversations through our representatives over there," Puello said in Spanish. "I think that, with a centrally located ballpark like they have, if we promote it right, things could go better over there."

One motivating factor could be the return of Cuba to the Caribbean Series.

Cuba hasn't been in the tournament since 1961, shortly after Fidel Castro gained power, and though chatter has surfaced the last few years about a possible return, that is still a long shot. If Cuba does return to the Caribbean Series, Puello said, it would have to be on a permanent basis.

"I can't allow Cuba to participate in just one Caribbean Series," Puello said. "They have to come every year to the Caribbean Series and stay permanently."